Semillon Doux
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from vintage release, though high-quality vintages can age gracefully for decades.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, foie gras, fruit tarts
✨ Technical Specifications
Catena Zapata's Semillon Doux is a tribute to the historic white winemaking heritage of Mendoza, where Semillon was once the dominant white variety in the early 20th century. Sourced from select high-altitude vineyards in the Uco Valley, particularly cool-climate sites like El Cepillo, this sweet wine benefits from extreme diurnal temperature shifts. The grapes are left on the vine to undergo late harvesting, allowing them to dehydrate and concentrate their natural sugars, occasionally kissed by noble rot (Botrytis cinerea). The resulting wine is fermented and aged in French oak barrels, yielding a luscious, golden nectar that balances rich honeyed sweetness with vibrant mountain acidity. It represents the estate's dedication to reviving traditional varietals with modern, high-altitude precision.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, Bodega Catena Zapata is celebrated as the pioneer that revolutionized modern Argentine winemaking and propelled Malbec onto the international stage. Located in Mendoza, the estate was transformed in the 1980s by third-generation vintner Nicolás Catena Zapata, who boldly advanced high-altitude viticulture along the Andean foothills, highlighted by the iconic Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary. Today, under the stewardship of Nicolás and his daughter Dr. Laura Catena, the winery unites traditional winemaking with groundbreaking soil and climate research via the Catena Institute of Wine. The estate is globally revered for its profound, terroir-driven expressions, exemplified by flagship cuvées such as Nicolás Catena Zapata, Malbec Argentino, and the acclaimed Adrianna Vineyard parcel-specific bottlings.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Semillon
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
12.5% - 13.5%